Like a Child

One recent morning on my walk, this time with Chester, my son’s dog we were taking care of, I got to talking to my little 4-year-old neighbor, Louisa.

Photo by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič

She had been chattering away even before I was close enough to hear what she was saying. She seemed interested in the dog, but also fearful.

“Are you afraid of dogs?” I asked.

She nodded shyly, backing away.

I said, “That’s OK. But you see his tail wagging? That means he likes you. He would like to say hi..”

Louisa was in her playground area that was lovingly built by her parents. I asked, “Did you daddy build this swing set?”

“My dad and my mom,” she said.

Eyeing Chester again, she stated, “Dogs can climb trees.”

“Actually, cats can climb trees. Dogs cannot.”

She brightened with an idea. She climbed up the ladder part of her swing set. “If a dog comes after me, I can climb up a tree.”

“Or up the ladder,” I added.

Feeling safer on the ladder, she observed, “You wear that same shirt every day.”

I know she sees me walk by her house every day. She told me so another time.

“Well, I wear this shirt a lot, or one like it, but just on my walks,” I said.

Ever curious, she asked me about my black weighted vest. “What is that?”

“I wear this to help my bones get stronger.” I turned around. “See in back here? There are weights so that it’s a little harder for me to walk with more weight, and that makes my bones stronger.”

We chatted about a few more things, and it struck me how curious and open a 4-year-old is. Observant.

And sure of herself! Full of opinions.

And yet, open to being corrected, and using that information to solve a problem. Dogs don’t climb trees after all? Super! That means I can climb something if a dog comes after me.

Photo by Noah Silliman

Talking to Louisa put me in touch with my own inner 4-year-old. It was fun. I remembered how much fun it was to swing on a swing, and to jump off. (Maybe I did that when I was older, I don’t know.) I remembered looking at picture books, and the Highlights magazine for children that was in the waiting room of the optometrist office I saw after my eye operation.

When other, darker memories came to mind, I brought those to Immanuel and my Healing Codes practices, and received some deeper healing.

Just as Jesus welcomed the little children to bless them (Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 19:13-15; Luke 18:16), I believe he now welcomes all our wounded inner children, and all parts of those children. He wants to bless them and integrate them fully into who we are now.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. . . Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”–Matthew 18:3,19:14